Bill Whipple, bus driver at Averill Park Central School District, and Betty Jean Whipple, volunteer, will be honored with the Capital Area School Development Association (CASDA) Friends of Education Award on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the 4th Annual Friends of Education Dinner being held at the Albany Marriott Hotel.
CASDA presents this award to recognize the selfless contributions of individuals who dedicate themselves to serving students and enriching their school communities.
According to the district, Bill and Betty Jean are instrumental in the Averill Park Backpack Program and the Food Bank Food Pantry Program, which helps provide children in grades K-5 with a bag of non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food every Friday afternoon to be enjoyed throughout the weekend. Once a week, Bill and Betty Jean drive a school bus to Latham to pick up food from the Regional Food Bank, then deliver and unload the food to Averill Park High School for use by the program.
“Bill Whipple and his wife are definitely deserving of this recognition,” said Merry Lee Kraft, Special Education Teacher at Averill Park. “This is a school-wide and community-wide effort to combat hunger, and Bill and his wife play a crucial role – and they do it cheerfully!” CASDA is proud to recognize them as Friends of Education.